Ioya Bigtime sold for stud duty in Uruguay

Multiple Grade 3 winner Ioya Bigtime, Illinois Horse of the Year in 2012, has been privately purchased for stud duty in Uruguay.

The 6-year-old Dynaformer horse was offered at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale by Scott Mallory, as agent for owner-breeder Team Block, but failed to meet his reserve when bringing a high bid of $80,000 on Saturday. Following that, Team Block reached an agreement to sell the horse to Perhaps Bloodstock of Diego Mitagstein of Argentina and Stud y Haras Bloodstock of Pablo Nunez of Uruguay.

Ioya Bigtime won six of 25 career starts, earning $540,149. During his championship season in 2012, he captured the Stars and Stripes Stakes at Arlington Park and the Kentucky Turf Cup at Kentucky Downs, both Grade 3 events on the turf. In all, he won or placed in seven stakes races.

Out of the Grade 3-winning Lord At War mare Ioya Two, Ioya Bigtime is a half-brother to Grade 3 winner Amazing Results and stakes winners I O Ireland and Mavericking. It is the family of multiple graded stakes winner Mystery Giver.